Willie repeatedly screetched “Mama, baby!” and flapped his wings, until Howard returned — just in time to find the little girl already turning blue. Last week, a local chapter of the Red Cross recognized Willie for his heroic efforts by awarding him the Animal Lifesaver Award.

A handsome and heroic Bengal mix named Stitch meowed his heart out to save his family in South Rockwood, Michigan when a fire broke out in their furnace room at 4 a.m. The sudden appearance of flames and smoke sent poor Stitch into fits of howling. The noise woke up owner Jennifer Merling, who went to investigate. When she opened the basement door, she was greeted with billowing smoke and one freaked out cat.

Creative Commons / Cybje

Stitch is hailed as his family’s hero.

Merling had taken Stitch in three years before after his original owner, her brother Nick, died. Merling told TV reporters that she felt like Nick was watching over her and her two children. “I feel like that was his way of telling me, ‘Wake your butt up, sis,'” she said. Everyone, including the family’s two other cats and two dogs made it out safely.

In a very Peter Pan-esque tale, a Southwest Philadelphia family’s dog sounded the alert when he saw their toddler playing on the roof. As the child’s parents slept, blissfully unaware in their bed, two-year-old Philip crawled on to the roof of the family’s home. Alfie the family dog was hot on his heels and began barking. The boy and Alfie were spotted running across the rooftops of several homes.

One neighbor told reporters, “I saw a baby running across the window, and thought ‘that can’t be true.’ Then I saw the dog.” Witnesses claimed that Alfie was running along the outside edge of the roof in an attempt to protect the toddler from falling. Eventually a neighbor was able to reach out of her window and grab the boy as onlookers gasped for the toddler’s safety. “I feel irresponsible, and kind of embarrassed,” said Philip’s dad. “It’s hard not to be when everyone knows you are the parents with the child that ran across the roof.”

Although my own Lorna Doone has never “saved” me from certain peril, she did bark at a meter maid once who was about to give me a ticket. My profuse apologies and Lorna’s sheepish attempts to make up for her blunder (by sticking her nose in his crotch) provided the perfect distraction and I managed to get away, ticket free.